A Wolf's Spirit

Secrets To Tell, Secrets To Keep

          Cole had finished visiting his mother for the day.

          Every day, after the midday sun, he would go to his den and sit with her for hours. His mother Lilly, in her human form, was bent over one knee with both of her fists slammed together. Cole was pleased, knowing that the markings on her arms and fists glowed a bright gold, as did the patterns across the cavern walls. It was a sign that her life's essence was still intact. She was still alive.

          She was still out there, somewhere.

          Lilly was in the exact same position as Cole's human body; he was settled in front of her, though his mother's figure was a lot larger and bulkier than his – the result of years of training and discipline.

          Cole used a certain language when he talked to his mother. It was used just between the two of them, but the rest of the pack understood it too. Except for one of them.

          It made sense that the azure wolf didn't recognize it as well as the rest of them. She hadn't been born into his pack, nor had she been born a Wolfwalker. Cole had first seen her a long time ago, just outside of the forest, when he had only been a boy.

          Ever since he and his pack had healed her wounds, it hadn't been long until they had accepted her into their ranks. Having merely been a cub at the time, Cole had approached her with curiosity, apprehension, and fear. The first time he had found her, she had been curled up in a tight ball, shivering and terrified. On the other hand, she held a powerful trace of humans, a scent foreign and menacing that he found on his mother when she returned from patrols.

          He remembered his mother warning him not to get too close to her, at least not for a little while. Cole felt his hackles raise when he thought about how he'd almost had his face bitten off by the azure wolf, the one time he had gotten a little too close. Having been born in the wild, Cole never truly understood her origins and the way she had felt about everything. His naivety and curiosity outweighed other signs that had been warning him, and had it not been for his mother looking out for him, he would've had his muzzle torn to shreds.

          Just a second before disaster, his mother dove in front of him, snarling and revealing her bared fangs at the she-wolf.

          Cole had been driven away, scampering off into the shadows of the den with his tail between his legs. His mother, who'd been the Alpha of the pack, had easily taken the wolf down and pinned her to the soft ground. She made sure that the azure wolf understood how outmatched she was in size, position, and dominance. Once the situation had been dealt with, she'd turned to Cole with a chilling gaze, fierce anger clear in her eyes.

          He'd yapped and whined in pain when his mother nipped his ears as punishment, making sure he'd learned his lesson and wouldn't pull something off like that again. His mother had barked for another pack member to escort him to the rest of the wolves, and Cole watched as she vanished into the den, staying with the azure wolf for the rest of the day.

          Returning to the present, Cole flicked his right ear as the subconscious feeling lingered. He rubbed his paw over it and let out a breath. As he gazed at his mother, he felt a subtle wave of grief floating in his chest. Before any of his emotions escalated, he dragged himself out of the den. Somehow, visiting his mother every day seemed to make him feel worse each time.

          Cole shook that thought away almost as soon as it came to his mind. He was completely fine, nothing else. There was absolutely nothing to be concerned about. She would return in no time, and no more pestering townspeople would destroy their forest. Everything would be fine. He'd be able to join her and fight them off once and for all.